


Run Away

by ilychuuya



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, I'm Sorry, Kinda, M/M, Soldier!Iwaizumi, does that make things better, no happy ending, no it doesnt, oikawa works at a bar, sorry iwa-chan, yall saw this coming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilychuuya/pseuds/ilychuuya
Summary: "When i get out of this war, Tooru, let's run away and settle down."Tooru leans on the bar counter with a slight chuckle."Sounds like a plan, Hajime."
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Run Away

_“When this war is finally over, Tooru, let’s run away and settle down,” Hajime says with a confident grin. He raises his pint of ale in the air, downs it in one gulp, and slams it onto the counter._

_Tooru leans on the paint-chipped bar counter with a slight chuckle, cloth draped over his shoulder. He stares at Hajime’s armour, taking in every last detail of him. The past two months haven’t treated Hajime too well. His hair is longer, his face smeared with dirt, his expression tired and weary, but his enchanting eyes still twinkle at Tooru. His sword hangs in its hilt on his side from where he is seated, grazing the wooden floorboards as he throws back more and more ale. It’s nice in a selfish way, seeing him so relaxed. Tooru wants this moment to last much longer than it should._

_“Sounds like a plan,” Tooru agrees. A bittersweet smile glows on his face, the happier part of his brain telling him that Hajime will be okay, and he won’t disappear, and this won’t be his last drink here, and he’s not leaving tomorrow evening for the last time and he will be back. Hajime will be back, because Tooru trusts him._

  
*****

The news of the ceasefire shocked the entire nation, as neither side had shown signs of retreat. The battle was gruesome, Tooru knew from the few details that reached the town through messengers that would visit every so often with vague updates, and the rumours that spread thereafter. Right now, Tooru stood at the wrought iron gates, waiting impatiently. Other families surround him, packed together in anxiety, eagerly anticipating the return of their brave warriors. He clutched the material of his apron in his fists, bit his tongue and imagined Hajime’s happy face again. 

Tooru could see a little boy jumping up and down, before kneeling down and pressing his ear to the ground. Tooru’s eyes drifted upwards, and he caught sight of a bird taking flight off a branch, and started to imagine life after Hajime returned and the war was over and they both left on a horse with nothing but a basket and each other. Tooru imagined freedom and being let outside these walls of fear he’d been stuck behind for far too long. The little boy sprang up, yelling something about horses, about how he could hear something coming…

He could hear the horses coming. 

They were home. _Hajime was home_. The gates were heaved open by the guards, and the horses approached, dragging along carts that held some wounded warriors and suspicious white bags. Other—less-injured—warriors came in on horseback, their faces looking more forlorn than relieved. Tooru stood behind the crowd of people rushing to see who’d returned, scanning the line of warriors for only one face. They were all vaguely familiar, like the guy from the bakery and the tailor’s son, but none of them were Hajime. None of them were his Hajime. He trembled, frantic tears welling up in his eyes as he kept scanning faces and carts and horses and faces and then more faces. 

It had been a half-hour. The gates had been closed. There was no sign of Hajime. There were a lot of people gathered here, surely Tooru just missed him. He probably just scanned the crowd too quickly, and Hajime was somewhere there, looking for Tooru. He was sure that soon enough, he would spot Hajime’s unruly hair or his huge grin. He was definitely somewhere there, he definitely came home, he had to have come home, they made a plan, he made a plan, he promised he’d come back, he fucking _promised._

In an angry blur, Tooru had pushed to the front, searching for the captain, the leader, or whatever official title they were given.

“Sir, is this- has everyone- is anyone- sir where is he!” Tooru’s voice grew to an unsteady shout, hot tears wetting his face once more. The captain’s face, a resigned calm, studied Tooru. Something seemed to click in the captain’s mind, and his brows furrowed and he looked to the ground in shame. 

“Where the hell is he!” Tooru carried on, “He promised he would come home! He said he would… he really said he would return. But he isn’t here, my Hajime… my Hajime isn’t fucking here!” he yelled, his voice laced with pure panic.

The captain got down onto one knee. His eyes never leaving the ground, he managed, “Sir, he was… your-” he wet his lips, heaved a sigh and started again, “Iwaizumi was a hero. On the battlefield. He fought for freedom, like a true warrior.”

Realisation hit Tooru like a wave and his knees buckled beneath him.

“Does that mean he…?” and the empty silence that met the half-question was enough to confirm all of his worst fears. A few agonising seconds passed. Tooru picked himself up, wiped the tears off of his face and dusted his apron, “Did he- is there anything that he left behind?” he swallowed, meeting the eyes of the captain who’d finally looked up.

“Just… this.” The captain pulled out a chain that led to a blood-stained iron chip with black letters engraved on it from his satchel and handed it to Tooru. “I am so, so sorry. I couldn’t lead him well.” The captain, his forehead wrinkled, never broke eye contact. He reached out his hand to place it onto Tooru’s shoulder.

Tooru politely shrugged off his arm, and as calm and collected as he could be, he assured, “This is not your fault. This isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s alright, I’ll… I'll be okay. Thank you,” he bowed, then turned away and stumbled back to the bar, clinging on to the chain and tracing his thumb over the letters, mumbling the name he knows so well. 

_Iwaizumi Hajime, Iwaizumi Hajime, Iwaizumi Hajime._

Tooru leaned against the bar where she had poured Hajime his last beer and sighed, feeling all the emotions rush back behind his eyes again. The paint was still chipped and the wood still creaked but it wasn’t the same. Hajime wasn't there. Tooru’s throat threatened to cry out. His legs ached to collapse again. His heart was going to beat out of his chest. His skin crawled at the vivid images in his mind, the back of his head began to hurt. He fell to his knees, choking out sobs, loud breaths forcing their way through his body, squeezing the chain so hard his knuckles grew white. 

When the morrow came, he ran away alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I keep doing this to myself... anyway, haha. i realised my last two fics were both tagged "major character death" so i may or may not do something about that :) love you byeeeeeee ;D


End file.
